The economic importance of copyright

Numerous people depend on their creations for their livelihoods, from photographers and journalists to architects and software developers to lyricists and composers. The Copyright Act gives them the exclusive right to earn money from their work. It provides a form of economic protection for the entire ‘creative industry’. This sector makes an important contribution to the Dutch economy; according to a study from 2003, a larger contribution than e.g. banking and insurance.

The cultural importance of copyright

Copyright is also extremely important from a cultural perspective. Without legal protection, there is no point in releasing original work. After all, this would leave anybody free to copy the creations or plagiarise them. The protection embodied in the Copyright Act allows composers, scientists and ‘creators’ to demonstrate their originality safely.

The personal importance of copyright

The creator has a special bond with his work. Someone who has poured his heart and soul into his work therefore does not want to see others distorting or destroying it. Copyright provides the creator with a good way of defending himself against this.

How did copyright arise?

The concept of copyright may seem obvious, but it was not always so. We do not know when it arose. There were already publishers who sold the works of authors in the Roman Empire. After printing was invented, around 1450, the ideas of printers’ rights and copying rights arose. Copyright as we know it was only defined in law much later. In the Netherlands, it dates to the 1880's.

The Auteurswet (Dutch Copyright Act)

Since the introduction of the Copyright Act, writers, music authors and other creators have been able to rely on legal protection of their copyright. Article 1 of the act states:

“Copyright is the exclusive right of the creator of a work of literature, science or art (or those to whom the right is transferred) to publish or use it in public and to replicate it, within the limits defined in the act.”

The Copyright Act provides protection automatically

According to the Copyright Act, a journalist’s article, a painting, a musical score or other creation is automatically protected. The creator does not in principle have to request or deposit or register anything. Applying the copyright symbol (©) or stating that all rights are reserved is not strictly required.

Even so: register your work with the tax office or a notary public

Although the Copyright Act automatically protects a creation, it can nevertheless be sensible to register a work. This can be done at a tax office that has a ‘Registration and Succession’ department or with a notary public. The author can also put a recording of his work in a sealed envelope and send it to himself by registered post. He subsequently keeps the unopened and date-stamped envelope in a safe place. The postal records provide the author with proof of when he made his creation.